Vault 44
by Stab Happy
Summary: 3 leave the Vault after a stunning turn of events, in hopes to find what was taken.
1. Prolouge

"Am, I okay?" A weak voice asked.

The VitalScreen on her Pip-Boy had appeared, indicating much trauma to the body. Her Pip-Boy was signaling severe damage to the legs, and shrapnel to the lower torso. She was not okay. "Yeah," a deeper, more choked up voice responded, "You're okay. Just hang in there."

The explosion had come as a shock, and threw pounds of dust and concrete into the air. No one had been watching the floor as she walked into the hallway.

"A trip mine..." A third voice stated, slightly nasally.

"I don't want to die, Tim." The girl's voice choked out.

"You're not gonna' die. I'm right here," he sniffed "You're safe and okay."

The dust finally settled. Tim regained his vision and looked at her face. The left side of her face had been blown apart, leaving exposed muscle and bone. Her right leg was now just a stump and the left was hanging by strands of tissue. Deep gashes from shrapnel covered her chest, each oozing blood steadily.

"How do I look?" she whispered, her jaw working fiercely to form the words.

Tim stared at her face and then closed his right eye, so he could see only the non-disfigured side of her face.

Tears started rolling out his eyes and he whispered back, "Beautiful."


	2. I : Several Weeks Earlier

"Okay class, settle down."

The students of Vault 44 had just finished swarming into cramped classroom, when Adrian Fuller, the teacher handling the mess of a teaching environment, called for everyone's attention. While it took several whistle blows and a few well placed yard-stick strikes, the class soon settled down.

"Now look, I know you are all so excited about getting your G.O.A.T results back," he paused after someone in the back chuckled. The greying old man adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat.

"Is there anything you want to say, Mr. Hayden?" Mr. Fuller asked while staring a hole in a student towards the back.

A pasty faced young man became the focus of everyone's attention suddenly, his sunken cheeks and acne blemishes, the center of attraction.

"Yes," his voice did not match his body, "I just laughed at the thought of myself getting stuck with your job. The G.O.A.T. was what put you here as well? Man," he stretched neck and stared at the ceiling, dripping with sarcasm, "It'd be such an honor to work with you."

Some smiled, few snickered,but just two busted out laughing. Mr. Fuller's face turned into a maliciously sweet smile.

"Well, Mr. Hayden, perhaps you should take your humor into the hall?"

A red-haired boy with glasses struggled not to laugh at an inappropriate time.

This boy, who now stands in the hall, is named, Timothy Hayden. His build is average, albite better than some in this section of the Vault. While he used a joke as cover, beneath his firmly planted mask, he was anxious as much as the rest. This test, one that he took like a joke, could decide the rest of his days and he knew that. Frankly, he couldn't stand still. His large hands, were trembling and fiddling with his jump suit.

"Geez, what if he messes with my results now?" he said while biting his lip.

No, he thought, each teacher has to send out the final results to the Overseer days in advance.

But that's only what Gerald told him, Gerald being the one who thinks that each Pip-Boy can be programmed to explode if you resist arrest.

But then again, when has Gerald ever been wrong? He memorized _The Big Book of Science _by heart and is a walking glossary of Pip-Boy facts.

Tim chuckled and smirked. Gerald might as well be the maker of those damn things.

Tim put his foot up against the wall and fiddled with his Pip-Boy.  
He groaned. It was only ten after six, and he had forgotten to eat some breakfast.

"Yes, I know I should eat some food." He mumbled to his Pip-Boy which calmly suggested he get some food in his stomach.

Time crawled, and tension began to mount. Tim slumped down on the ground and toggled through his Pip-Boy Tool settings.

"It's currently 24 degrees Celsius in here. Cool."

Tim switched over to the Joke "Tool" that Gerald added to his Pip-Boy.

"Tell me a joke." Tim said dryly.

Green text scrawled across his screen and read, "What has two legs, is sassy, and really smoking?"

"I don't know, what is it?" Tim asked.

"Tim's Sister. :)"

Tim sneered and turned off his Joke "Tool", just as the class doors opened and a young girl walked out.

"That was real smooth, Tim." She said without any emotion.

"Yeah thanks for the encouragement. What job did you get?" Tim asked after standing back up.

She sighed and mumbled, "Pedicurist."

Tim let out a slight chuckle and shook his head. She turned away and growled some profanity under her breath.

Not long after she came out, many other followed suit. Several girls giggled as they passed Tim, he hoped they were talking about his little joke, but he doubted it. A burly man walked out with a smug grin of satisfaction across his face and said, "Holotape Actor!", to an unknown audience. Tim knew this man, and knew he was quite full of him self. This man leaned in close to Tim and added, "If you know what I mean." He trotted off whistling and attempted to catch up with a few girls.

Gerald was the very last person to exit the classroom, and looked as if he just became appointed Pip-Boy Programmer.

"Hot damn Tim! I just got my dream job!", he pauses for effect, "Pip-Boy Programmer!"

Figures, Tim thought, it'd be an upset if he didn't get it.

"Well, that's great to hear!" Tim puts on a smile and claps him on the shoulder.

"Fuller wants to see you next, ya' know?" Gerald added after a shy smile.

"I expected that to happen. Well,", Tim breaks off, and starts toward the door, "I'd best go talk to him."

Gerald gave a nod of some sort and added, "Oh yeah! Kean wants to go grab some breakfast after this, you up for that?"

Tim remembered the monster in his stomach and nodded.

"Alright man! Good luck!" Gerald said as Tim walked into the now empty classroom.


End file.
